Sunday, August 20, 2006

Pudina Annam/PudinaRice

 



















How many of us can dislike that refreshing,aromatic,sweet n then cool mint taste in the mouth,when u pop in a pepper mint/Spearmint/Pineapple mint as the day gets so boring and tiresome?Not many, I believe,or perhaps none...Mint,a flowering plant belonging to the plant family Lamiaceae,is available in most parts of Europe,Asia and Australia.

For many of us the day starts with the refreshing mint in the form of tooth paste or antiseptic mouth rinses...Most of the toothpaste brands in the world have at least one variety with mint in it.Mint is a major flavouring agent, be it in candy,jelly,syrup or tea... mint.Do you know that Greeks used mint leaves in the funeral rites just like Indians used Holy Basil/Tulsi.Greeks believe the flower to have been named after
  • Minthe
  • .In the traditional herbal medicine mint is widely used for treating indigestion,stomach pain,as a diuretic etc...and it is commercially capitalised by several brands like Dabur(PudinHara).It is also widely used in aromatherapy and in the preparation of several beauty oils..

    Mint/Pudina leaves are used in several Indian or rather Asian,Arabic,and European food preparations,be it chicken,lamb,sea food,rice or vegetables...Pudina Annam/Pudina rice/PudinaChawal/Pudina Pulao is a common rice item for both North and South India.Well, like several Indian dishes there may definitely be slight variations in the method of preparation...but the end product is just awesome...So here is the recipe for Pudina Annam/Mint rice,the way we prepare at home,in South India.

    Ingredients:
    Basmati Rice-1 1/2cup
    Coconut Milk-1 cup
    Water-1/2 cup(for rice)
    Pudina-1 bunch(cleaned and leaves picked)
    Coriander leaves-1/2 bunch
    Green chilli-75 g
    Lemon juice-1 tbsp
    Tamarind paste-1 1/2 tsp
    Butter-1+1 =2 tbsp
    Ginger-25g
    Garlic-25g
    Shallots-8-chopped
    Onion-1 medium,chopped
    Garam Masala-1 tsp(cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,fennel,staranise,mace,nutmeg)-Powdered
    Grated coconut-2 tbsp
    Oil-as rqd
    Salt-as rqd
    Cashews-25g
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    Method
    Heat oil in a wok.Roast chopped ginger,garlic,green chillies,tamarind paste along with the mint leaves and coriander leaves till the leaves become soft and you get a fine aroma.Now cool it and grind it to a coarse paste along with grated coconut.Meanwhile Wash basmati rice and cook it with 1 tbsp butter,coconut milk,lemon juice and water&salt till the grains separate.(I microwave the above usually at high for 18 minutes).

    Heat oil in a wok.Roast onions and shallots till they become transluscent.Add the ground paste,garam masala and saute for a couple of minutes.Add the cooked rice.Add salt, if reqd.Mix well.Finally garnish with roasted cashews and a few sprigs of mint.Serve it hot with any raita or salad or roasted vegetables.

    This shall be my first entry for
  • weekend herb blogging
  • hosted this time by our wonderful 'bachelor' blogger
  • Antony
  • .


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    10 comments:

    Prema Sundar said...

    Hi ,
    This is the first time iam leaving a comment on ur blog , though i have been here a few times.
    Pudina rice looks nice. i wanted to make pudina rice for a long time .. but didnt have a good recipe.now i got it. Thanks for the recipe and a neat presentation.

    Anonymous said...

    Very lucky dinner guests - pudina rice looks and sounds delicious. Ingredients photo is so colorful, too. I will try this when I get some fresh mint. Thanks for sharing it.

    Anonymous said...

    looks very good

    Kalyn Denny said...

    Sounds like a very interesting recipe. Wish I could taste it!

    Ruth Daniels said...

    Love the photos! Everything looks so beautiful and the rice sounds great.

    Thanks for sharing.

    indianadoc said...

    >Prema,thanx for all the kind words...Pl do try...u would love it...shall keep in touch...
    >Thanx linda for dropping in and thanx for all the kind words...It is quite easy too to make it...
    >coffepot,welcome to my blog and thanx for the compliments...pl do visit again...
    >Kalyn,thanx for the wonderful concept...the event is becoming very intereting...Oh this should be quite easy to try with most ingredients available almost everywhere...I wish I could have u with me for the dinner!
    >Ruth,Sher,welcome to my blog and thanx a ton for all the compliments...Pl do try, if possible...
    >

    Gattina Cheung said...

    your rice definitely looks glorious!!! Love to have a taste right now!

    archana said...

    What a beautiful spread !!!!Njaneppazha varande ennu mathram paranjal matheetooo...

    indianadoc said...

    >thanx gattina...i too wd love to serve u some...bt what to do...we r miles apart... :(
    >thanx archana... ... u r always welcome dear...(not as a formality...)i wd love to have u with me...pl do ping me if u have any plans to come to UK...(But not it sep and oct this yr...i'm going to India!! :)

    Anonymous said...

    Hi
    Happened to have a look at your blog. Great presentation and sure impressed with the greeny pudina rice recipe which I am gonna try it tonite. BTW here is another greeny rice - kothamali sadam or corrainder rice
    http://www.indusladies.com/forums/4245-post35.html